Rauf Denktash

Reporting from Nicosia, Cyprus -- Rauf Denktash, the former Turkish Cypriot leader whose determined pursuit of a separate state for his people and strong opposition to the divided island's reunification defined a political career spanning six decades, died Friday. He was 87. Denktash, who had a stroke in May, died of multiple organ failure at a hospital in the Turkish Cypriot north of Nicosia, said Dr. Charles Canver, who had treated his heart condition. His death comes in the middle of yet another diplomatic drive to reunify Cyprus, which has been split along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkey invaded the island in the aftermath of a short-lived coup by supporters of union with Greece.

Reporting from Nicosia, Cyprus -- Rauf Denktash, the former Turkish Cypriot leader whose determined pursuit of a separate state for his people and strong opposition to the divided island's reunification defined a political career spanning six decades, died Friday. He was 87. Denktash, who had a stroke in May, died of multiple organ failure at a hospital in the Turkish Cypriot north of Nicosia, said Dr. Charles Canver, who had treated his heart condition. His death comes in the middle of yet another diplomatic drive to reunify Cyprus, which has been split along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkey invaded the island in the aftermath of a short-lived coup by supporters of union with Greece.

Rauf Denktash resigned as president of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to clear the way for early elections that he said will be a referendum on the divided island's future. Presidential elections will be held April 22 and parliamentary elections May 6. Denktash complained that some Turkish Cypriot politicians have accused him of being too uncompromising in talks on reunifying Cyprus. The latest round of U.N.

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf R. Denktash said Wednesday that he was pulling out of next week's four-party talks on a United Nations plan to reunite the divided Mediterranean island because he didn't believe the negotiations would lead to a settlement. Denktash and the Greek Cypriot leader, Tassos Papadopoulos, have been holding U.N.-mediated talks since February on ending the island's 3-decade-old division so it can join the European Union as a united nation on May 1.

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash met Friday with Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger, but both the State Department and the Greek Cypriot government denied any shift toward recognition of the self-declared state. The officials stressed the informal nature of the meeting, held over lunch in a State Department dining room.

Turkish Cypriot voters on Sunday gave their veteran leader, Rauf Denktash, an overwhelming endorsement for his hard-line stand on unity talks with Greek Cypriots. Unofficial results reported by the electoral board gave Denktash 68.6% of the ballots for the presidency of the breakaway Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, which is recognized only by Ankara. The main opposition candidate, Ismail Bozkurt, had 30.4%, while the third contender, leftist Alpay Durduran, received less than 1%.

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf R. Denktash has won another five-year term as president after his only contender withdrew Wednesday from the balloting. The victory by the 76-year-old Denktash comes a month before U.N.-sponsored negotiations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots are scheduled to begin in New York. Denktash and Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu were to compete in a runoff Saturday in presidential elections in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

A previously unknown organization Sunday claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in a crowded Greek bar near a U.S. air base in which at least 70 Americans and eight other people were injured. An anonymous caller to a pro-government newspaper said a group calling itself the "National Front" planted the time bomb. The caller said the attack was directed "against the Americans who are responsible for the continued situation in Cyprus."

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf R. Denktash said Wednesday that he was pulling out of next week's four-party talks on a United Nations plan to reunite the divided Mediterranean island because he didn't believe the negotiations would lead to a settlement. Denktash and the Greek Cypriot leader, Tassos Papadopoulos, have been holding U.N.-mediated talks since February on ending the island's 3-decade-old division so it can join the European Union as a united nation on May 1.

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf R. Denktash has won another five-year term as president after his only contender withdrew Wednesday from the balloting. The victory by the 76-year-old Denktash comes a month before U.N.-sponsored negotiations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots are scheduled to begin in New York. Denktash and Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu were to compete in a runoff Saturday in presidential elections in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Turkish Cypriot voters on Sunday gave their veteran leader, Rauf Denktash, an overwhelming endorsement for his hard-line stand on unity talks with Greek Cypriots. Unofficial results reported by the electoral board gave Denktash 68.6% of the ballots for the presidency of the breakaway Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, which is recognized only by Ankara. The main opposition candidate, Ismail Bozkurt, had 30.4%, while the third contender, leftist Alpay Durduran, received less than 1%.

Rauf Denktash resigned as president of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to clear the way for early elections that he said will be a referendum on the divided island's future. Presidential elections will be held April 22 and parliamentary elections May 6. Denktash complained that some Turkish Cypriot politicians have accused him of being too uncompromising in talks on reunifying Cyprus. The latest round of U.N.

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash met Friday with Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger, but both the State Department and the Greek Cypriot government denied any shift toward recognition of the self-declared state. The officials stressed the informal nature of the meeting, held over lunch in a State Department dining room.

A previously unknown organization Sunday claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in a crowded Greek bar near a U.S. air base in which at least 70 Americans and eight other people were injured. An anonymous caller to a pro-government newspaper said a group calling itself the "National Front" planted the time bomb. The caller said the attack was directed "against the Americans who are responsible for the continued situation in Cyprus."

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash offered Greek Cypriots a plan that he said might serve as a "catalyst" to a final settlement on the divided Mediterranean island. Denktash proposed freedom of movement and normalization of the flow of goods between the two sides, which are split by a fortified border. Economic sanctions against Turkish northern Cyprus should be lifted in return, he said. There was no immediate reaction from Greek Cyprus.